Training with unconventional load-bearing exercise equipment, such as kettlebells, weight vests, and sandbags, has increased in popularity for professional and amateur athletes due to the rise of alternative sports such as cross-fit and obstacle course racing. However, such load-bearing exercise equipment is often beset by a myriad of disadvantages or shortcomings.
For example, kettlebells are usually designed with a single narrow handle attached to a load-bearing component. This design constrains the ways in which a user can lift the kettlebell; for example, by one hand or two hands placed in close proximity to one another. When such movements are performed repeatedly in the course of a kettlebell workout, the user can develop injuries to the user's neck, shoulder, and back. While weight vests provide a user with a greater range of motion, such vests are often designed solely to be worn around the user's body and are difficult to grasp or control when used in exercises typically meant for free weights. Moreover, while sandbags offer increase range of motion and can sometimes be used to substitute for free weights, sandbags are often difficult to grasp and their lack of rigidity can limit the type of exercises that a user can perform with such equipment.
Therefore, a solution is needed which does not limit the user's range of motion when performing load-bearing exercises using such equipment and opens the door for new exercise postures, motions, and possibilities. In addition, such equipment should be cost-effective to manufacture, portable, and able to withstand wear and tear in the course of usage.